Gruffydd ap Rhys

Gruffydd ap Rhys (1090-1137) was King of Deheubarth from 1116 to 1137, succeeding Rhys ap Tewdwr and preceding Anarawd ap Gruffydd.

Biography
Gruffydd ap Rhys was born in Llandeilo in 1090, the son of Rhys ap Tewdwr. Following his father's death in 1093, Deheubarth was taken over by the Normans, and Gruffydd spent many of his early years in exile in Ireland. In 1113, he visited King Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd, and he called in an honor debt from Gruffudd to restore him to the throne; he also married Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, Gruffudd ap Cynan's daughter. After several years, he was able to amass enough troops to attack the Norman castles, but a failed attack on Aberystwyth led to Gruffydd's army melting away. In 1127, he was again forced to flee to Ireland, but he joined Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd in their 1136 uprising against the Normans. His wife Gwenllian also commanded an army, but she was killed in battle. Hoewver, Gruffydd avenged her death at Crug Mawr in October, decisively defeating a Norman army, and he gained further success in Dyfed in 1137 before dying that same year.